Toward rapid tissue regeneration with nanosilicate implants
(Nanowerk News) A team at DTU Health Tech led by Associate Professor Alireza Dolatshahi-Pirouz has made a leap forward in tissue regeneration by creating a multi-level scaffold that captures the properties of native bone at the nano, micro, and macro scales.
In a recent paper on ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces journal (“Multilevel Nanosilicate Implants Can Facilitate Near-Perfect Bone Healing”), the researchers described finding nearly complete bone healing in a mouse model after just eight weeks, using their scaffold—and without the use of growth factors.
In addition, the scaffold is combinatorial and can simultaneously release several essential bone minerals while masking the mechanical properties, namely the compressive strength required to match cancellous human bone.
The implications of these results are enormous, and our goal now is to shorten the healing time to 4 weeks and achieve almost instantaneous tissue regeneration without the use of endocrine factors and cells. We will also see if it can be used for other networks,” said Associate professor at DTU Health Tech and author of the correspondence Alireza Dolatshahi-Pirous.
FDA approved material
By combining stem cells, more bioactive components such as collagen and gelatin, coatings that enhance migration of native cells to the scaffold, and electromagnetic stimulation, it could pave the way for the rapid healing of soldiers suffering from critical musculoskeletal fractures or civilians suffering from traumatic injuries. These people are hospitalized for months on end, with a long road to recovery.
In particular, the new scaffolds are made primarily of glass, alginate, and nanosilicate—FDA-approved materials. Thanks to its FDA-approved status, the hurdles to regulatory clearance are significantly reduced. This means the scaffold can be used more confidently and efficiently in clinical settings, speeding development and improving patient outcomes.
“I believe this discovery can be a game changer in the field of tissue regeneration, and I hope this technology can be used to help those in need,” said Alireza Dolatshahi-Pirouz.
